Cruel Summer
by Touch of Grey
Summary: Spying, backstabbing, cutting hair. All in a day's work, right? Ko-centric.


Jason ran his hand through his hair in frustration, sweaty, overly long bangs sticking to his forehead. It was summer. He was in Los Angeles. His hair was somewhere between Justin Bieber and a Hanson brother circa 1997.

He'd had just about enough.

The scissors clattered across the table, stopping just short of the back of her laptop. Ko looked up, brow raised. "Worst murder attempt ever." Jason rolled his eyes, dragging a chair over to where she sat, plopping down in it with his back to her.

"No, Katie. Cut my hair?" Her brow shot upwards again. Usually his requests came in the form of demands. The heat must be getting to him. Ko fisted her hand in his hair, feeling the dirt and grease of several summer days slide between her fingers. Curling her lip in disgust, she yanked her hand away, wiping it several times on her jeans to get it passably clean again. Tapping on his shoulder, she waited until his eyes were on her before jerking her thumb at the door of his small bathroom.

"You are washing your hair before I cut it. You can either go take a shower, or I can dump a bucket of soapy water over your head while you lean over the sink, the choice is yours." Snorting, he stood, kicking off his shoes and shedding his shirt as he headed for the bathroom.

"As always, you're more than welcome to join me." He called teasingly. She wouldn't take the bait. She never did. As she bathroom door clicked shut and the shower began to run, Ko let her mind wander.

It had been exactly five months, twelve days and, she checked her laptop's clock, fourteen hours since Tim Drake, the Red Robin, had sent her on assignment to L.A., sent her to spy on his estranged 'elder brother' in the best way she could. Red Hood had been sighted making deals and connections with the crime lords in the underbelly of Los Angeles, but a cape in the city of the angels would attract way too much attention. So here she was, living a double life as 'Katie Wong', lying her way through what could possibly be taken as a working relationship. She didn't care _what_ Tim thought, however. She did _not_ plan on sleeping with Jason. There was professionalism, and then there was getting way too deep into character. The shower screeched off, and Ko winced. The bathroom door opened.

"I really need to get that looked at. People could probably tell I was getting out of the shower in 'Frisco." Her mouth went slightly dry. Sure, Ko may not have planned on sleeping with her prey, but sometimes, times like this especially, he really knew how to make the hunter feel like the hunted. Water ran in rivulets down his bare chest to a towel that was clinging to his hips by sheer force of will. Coughing, she averted her eyes.

"Christ, Jay. Show a little common decency, would you? Pants, now." Rolling his eyes at her flushed face, Jason sauntered casually into his bedroom, coming back out in a pair of worn pajama pants. "Right then. Sit." He padded barefoot back over to the chair he'd dragged to her, sitting with his back poker straight. His wet hair slid along her fingers as she combed a hand through it, trying hard not to lean forward and smell him. Jason sighed softly, and a small smile tugged at her lips. "Scissors, please." He handed them back to her, and Ko got to work. Cutting a straight line across the longest part of his hair, she then snipped lightly until the shape of his head finally appeared. "How long has it been since you cut this mop, anyway?" Jason chuckled.

"Two months before I met you, I think. Why, am I overdue?" Ko smacked the back of his head affectionately. "Ow! That was completely uncalled for, Kay." Her heart clenched slightly as she remembered why she was here. Red Hood was stealing illegal guns from crime families and selling them to various governments. Once Ko turned in her report on what she'd found from tapping his computers and constantly being in his presence, it was very likely that he would end up in a federal prison for a long, long time. But it was alright, wasn't it? This wasn't anything real. She was playing a role, he'd fallen for it, and once she'd double-crossed him...no. She had never been on his side. She was no mobster's moll. She was a spy, doing her duty to her team and her adopted country. Ko jumped as a hand touched her wrist. "Kay, you alright? You kinda spaced on me."

"Oh, sorry. Just thinking about something. Did I cut you?" She looked around for any sign of blood, but he just grinned. His smile was wide, his eyes a deep, heartbreaking blue. With his shorter hair, he looked his age, perhaps a bit younger. This was not the face of a criminal. Inwardly, Ko shook her head. She had to do what she came to do. Any less, and she would either be killed by him as a traitor, or thrown out of the Titans for being a criminal sympathizer. "Turn around, I need to get your fringe." Jason stood, straddling the chair and presenting his face to her. With his head tilted upwards, she was at just the right height to...Ko shook her head, outwardly this time. She was at the proper height to cut his hair, then get back to her subtle tap on his systems. A few quick snips later, she was done. Leaning forward, she brushed stray bits of hair off his cheeks and eyelids, and squeaked in surprise when he gently grasped her wrist.

"Hey." Ko froze, flushing at his intense stare. She'd perhaps done a bit _too_ good of a job; his hair was much shorter now, bangs only lightly touching his forehead instead of flopping into his eyes. Her own eyes were drawn to two small, swirly curls at the very forefront, and her memory supplied an image of a much younger Jason in pixie boots and the distinctive green domino mask of Robin. "My head feels a lot lighter now. Thanks." He was going to do it. Weeks of avoiding this very action, all for nothing. Months of staying in the strict 'friend' territory wasted. He was going to try and kiss her. He reached over, running his hand through her dark hair. She'd washed it just that morning, so aside from the slight sweaty tinge from her afternoon run and the public transit system's lack of air conditioning, her hair felt fluffy and clean. Raising himself off the chair slightly, Jason leaned over, sniffing the top of her head. "I think we use the same shampoo. Axe, right? I use Phoenix."

"In, Intense." Ko replied, mentally slapping her forehead at her stutter. He grinned, then seemed to inwardly dim.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Thinking it wise to stay silent, Ko nodded. "How come you've never flirted with me? I mean, if I was completely friendzoned, you wouldn't have any problems with physical contact. Kay, I can tell you like me. Why don't you ever _do_ anything about it?" It was a good question, and she could tell a half-truth without exposing herself.

"It would not be professional." She replied carefully. "Certain things are expected of me, from me, and attempting to bed an ally, while expected of other women in our...organization, would be considered extremely inappropriate for someone in my particular position." It was the truth, sort of. As far as he knew, anyway. Jason nodded thoughtfully, removing his hand from her hair.

"Fine, I guess that's perfectly logical." Ko breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe he'd quit whatever he was trying to start, now. "But when we're not working together anymore, I'm taking you out for some coffee and finally getting to know how a nice girl like you wound up working for a piece of shit like Martinez." Her heart clenched again, harder than the first time. There would be no 'after' for Jason. He would come out of this endeavor either jailed for life, or stone dead. And it was her job to make it so. Forcing back a wave of sadness, Ko smiled at him.

"It is a date."

It was going to be a long summer.

Fini

Yeah, this story has kinda been kicking around in my head for awhile. It takes place before 'The Smell of Cigarettes', and kind of puts things in perspective for them. If you liked this, drop me a review. If not, well, I ask nothing more of you.


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